Zalaena
Your deep dark secret can't be held for much longer, '' ''Your red silk hood will only keep you hidden for so much time, That Big Bad Wolf isn't hiding in your closet, '' ''That Big Bad Wolf is hiding in your mind. (Played by Valany) History In the [[Forest of Zha'danell|'Forest of Zha'danell']]', on a freezing winter night, a woman ran through the dense shrubbery, which seemed to suffocate everything around it. A long dark cloak enveloped her body, letting her move stealthy throughout the pitch black woods, the only light coming from a torch she held in her left hand. A cry sounded from the woman, the cry of a child. The woman looked down to her right, which cradled a small child.'' "Shush child," She said, coddling the child closer and continuing her decent through the deep woods. Strange noises seemed to awaken in the night with the child's cries, but un-fearful, the woman continued her sprint, leaping over fallen branches and jutting out roots. Sounds of growls echoed behind them, the sound of panting following as something chased them. The woman pushed on, running forward as if she had a goal and looking down at the child every so often. Within soon enough, the child and woman burst through the thick forest, coming into a large clearing that held a village. The woman breathed hard, finally looking behind her to find horse sized wolves chasing after her, but not running as fast as they easily could, clearly playing with their prey. She ran to the villages gates, not halting as guards in the side towers told her to stop. She dropped her torch into the snow and pounded on the front gates, begging for help. "Help! Help please!" She screamed, looking behind her to see if the wolves had gotten closer, but to her surprise...they had vanished. Not even paw prints tainted the blanket of white, only her own foot prints. She turned back to the gate, pounding furiously and didn't give up until someone were to open the gates. Not long later, they did. Several guards stood, swords at the ready, but they opened the gate for her. The woman collapsed into the snow, still clutching the child to her. "Please.." She yelled, looking up from her fallen posture. "The baby.." She said, her voice growing fainter as her body shook with the nip in the air. One guard slowly came forth, sword pointed to where he suspected the woman's neck would be, until he was close enough to lean down. He helped the woman roll over and removed the hood enough to that he could see her face. He drew slightly back as his eyes grazed at the blue tint of the woman's skin. She was frost-bitten and would not last long. The guard reached down and took the baby from the woman's grasp, turning to the next guard and ordering him to come help this poor girl who laid in the snow, slowly dying. Most rushed over, picking up the woman and taking her somewhere, probably the infirmity. The guard with the child stayed behind, his attention turning the small being that held in his arms. He looked down at her, slowly bringing down the hood that also showed the child's face. He gasped and held the child away from him, causing her to cry and then cry even louder as the cold wind rushed over her flushed cheeks. On the child's head sat two ears, but they weren't normal ears...they were more like a dogs...or a wolves. He spat in disgust, turning to place the child back outside the gates and leave the abomination for the creatures that seemed to long for it until a hand stopped him. Behind him stood an older woman, seeming to be in her late 50's. She placed her hand on the guards armored shoulder, looking at the beast child that he held away from his body, not wanting to have any contact with it. She walked slowly in front of him and took the crying child into her arms, cradling her softly and shhing her to calm down. The old woman looked up to the guard, looking into his brown eyes with her own. "Throwing a child out, no matter how they look..is a sin," She said, the child settling in her arms. "The infant will be my responsibility if the woman dies," The old woman said, turning without another word from the guard and heading back to her small hut inside the village. Years continued on, the young kid, coming to be known as Zalaena, grew up under the care of the older woman. The mysterious woman who had brought Zalaena to the village that one, fateful night, died before morning as she had been extremely frost-bitten. The elder woman crafted Zalaena a special cloak, the shade of blood red, made to help keep her ears hidden from the normal eye as she knew the child would get teased and tormented for being different in this small village. Growing up, Zalaena was taught how to hunt and prepare the food to survive in the wild, if anything were to happen to her or this village. The old woman cared for Zalaena greatly, making potions to help her on her trip and packing everything in a weaved basket of sticks, tucking it together with more red cloth that matched the color of her cloak. Zalaena would grow to be the one to fetch dinner, the old lady, whom Zalaena had taken to calling her "Grandmother" as per the old woman's request, would cook it and teach Zalaena all the recipes. Even with the help of the cloak to keep her ears hidden, Zalaena was still an outcast of the village. People believed the old woman was the witch of the village and was teaching all of her nasty tricks to Zalaena, to be the new witch would the old woman pass away soon. People avoided her, went out of their way to not be near her and everyone would see her coming because of that red cape. Zalaena grew to hate it, this stupid red cape, but she feared what others would do, would they see what she really was. On the day of Zalaena's 16th birthday, a knock had sounded on the door to their small cabin, causing both of them to look at each other in confusion. They were often ignored? Who would be here? Zalaena went to open the door, as the old woman was being too frail to even get up from a chair, cracking it open just a hair as her sapphire eyes peered at who stood behind it. It was a boy....and their mother. Zalaena slowly opened the door, her forehead crinkling in confusion as she looked up at the two. "Yes?" She asked, not sure as to why they would be here. They stood in silence, clearly waiting for someone to speak, until the mother slapped the boy on the back of the head. "Bayde, speak." She said, nudging him. The boy rolled his eyes and avoided Zalaena's gaze. "We're new to the village and were saying hello to our neighbors.." He grumbled, causing the mother to sigh. "We're new to the village and just wanted to meet everyone. Helena," The mother said, speaking for her son. Zalaena invited them in, welcoming them to her grandmother, who seemed to glow with the new found company. Bayde refused to look at either of them, seeming to just to want to leave and ever come back and soon enough, it was time for them to leave. Helena stopped right outside of the huts doorway, turning to look back at Zalaena with a kind smile. "We're going to be running a new bakery in town, please...stop by." Helena said, taking Zalaena's hands in the ladies grasp. "And I'm sure Bayde would love to be taught how to hunt!" She said, excitedly, looking back to her son who just huffed. Zalaena gave the woman a smile and nodded, agreeing to helping him as it seemed rude to say no, especially to people who weren't afraid of her and her grandmother. A few months passed, Zalaena kept her promise and showed up to the bakery everyday and visiting the new neighbors, Helena letting Zalaena bring home fresh bread everyday for her grandmother, while Zalaena would help Bayde hunt in the nearby forest to help supply his family with fresh meat. Zalaena and Bayde grew to enjoy each others presence, as that seems to happen when you spend everyday with someone. They would even play tricks on each other and play games on who can score the most animals. One day, they were playing hide and seek in the forest, even though it was later in the day the dense forest barely let any light in. Zalaena was the seeker. "Bayy~" Zalaena called out, her eyes surveying the area, almost like a hawk looking for it's afternoon meal. Ever since Zalaena had been little, her senses had always been slightly higher, she had noticed, than the people in this village. She breathed in the air, taking it deep into her chest and catching the faint smell of bread. Zalaena smirked and headed off towards that direction, feeling pretty confident of herself. Not to her surprise, she found Bayde sitting behind a tree, picking away at a piece of bread. "About time," He teased, looking up at her and smiling. Zalaena, not being able to control herself, reached down and plucked the bread from his hands, popping a piece into her mouth and smirking at him, walking backwards as she did so. "Hey!" He cried, quickly getting to his feet and chasing after her, all of this causing Zalaena to shriek out in glee and turn, sprinting away from him. Zalaena laughed as she rushed through the forest, her feet skillfully hopping over any roots that protruded from the damp forest ground, but she slowed, allowing Bayde to catch up as she was normally faster than him. She hid behind a tree, giggling as she popped another small chunk of bread into her mouth, waiting to be caught. Within the same moment, Bayde shot around the tree, placing both his hands on either side of her. "Caught you," He said, his voice slightly husk from all the running. Zalaena, not even fatigued, smirked and bit into the loaf. Bayde cocked a grin as well and snatched from her, causing Zalaena to pout. "My, what a big nose you have," Bayde teased as he normally did, flicking her nose and taking another bite. Zalaena glared and rubbed her nose, trying to snatch the bread back with a new fit of laughing. "My, what big ears you have!" Bayde chirped, teasingly touching her hood. This caused Zalaena to tense up, flattening against the bark of the tree behind her. Bayde looked at her strangely, watching her reaction and reaching up slowly, caressing her face softly. "You don't need to be afraid of me.." He whispers, his fingers touching the edge of her hood lightly. Zalaena bit her bottom lip, unsure as her heart sped up, not use to this...emotion. Zalaena nodded slowly and lowered her cloak, letting it fall around her feet. Two ears that were the same color of her hair, stick up, flicking slightly as she listens to the forest around them. Bayde stepped away from her, nearly tripping as he backed away. This caused Zalaena to see the massive wolf staring at them, literally right behind Bayde. "Bay-" She starts to say but she was too late. The wolf lunges at Bayde, biting at his arm and ripping it right off. Zalaena's eyes widen and they both stand there, shocked at what had just happened. Bayde slowly looks down at his new stub, yelling as his eyes see his missing member and falling back into the snow, clutching at his arm. Zalaena pulls out her bow, aiming it at the wolf, who runs off towards the village, leaving them behind. She keeps her aim at where the wolf had left for a moment, making sure it was gone and then turns to Bayde's side, touching his chest lightly. "Shhh," She whispered, her ears lowering as she now brought her hand up to brush at his hair. "It's going to be okay.." She tried to soothe, but Bayde continued to yell in agony, clutching at where his arm was. Zalaena turned and reached into the basket, pulling out a potion that her grandmother had given her. She pulled off the top with her teeth and pressed it to Bayde's lips. "Drink this, it will help," She said, helping him drink the potion. First he refused, spilling some, but knowing he had no other choice, he accepted. Picking up their things, Zalaena helped Bayde up, who had already stopped screaming and who stayed silent. Together they slowly made their way back to the village, Zalaena pulling her cloak and hood back on before they headed out of the deep forest. She kept an eye out for the wolf, but all along the way back, there was no sight of it. Once they had reached the village, Bayde shot away from Zalaena, seeming to run home. She watches him go, wanting to help him, but she was exhausted and needed to check on her grandmother. She heads back home, but stops when she notices a bunch of guards standing outside of her cabins door. "Hey, whats going on?" She called, storming up the the front door and trying push her way through. "We haven't done anything!" She cried. Guards wrapped their arms around her, holding her back as they drug out her grandmother. "Linda Frey, you are being sentenced to death for the accusation of witch craft. It is an evil art and we cannot allow that in our village." A guard said, continuing to pull out her grandmother. Zalaena struggled against her captures, her eyes deadset on the guard that was holding her grandmother, rage starting to fill inside of her..something...wild. A low growl sounded from her chest, something unnatural. The two guards holding her look down in confusion, wondering if this girl was some kind of retard. The sound of running came from behind, pulling her attention. It was Bayde and his mother, who looked horrified. "It's true!" Bayde yelled, pointing to Zalaena and her grandmother. "She's a monster and they're both witches! We have to burn them!" He yelled, glaring daggers at Zalaena. "I was attacked by a beast and she gave me a strange potion, she had ears," He snarls, walking closer. Zalaena's rage seems to burn through her whole body now, and before she knew it, her body started to violently shake, her body temperature raising incredibly high. She lets out a scream as her body contorted, starting to ripple and change. Her body grew and grew, fur piercing through her flesh. The guards, scared, let go of Zalaena, backing up and watching as they had never seen this happen before. Zalaena falls to the ground and before their eyes, standing at 11'2" now stood a very large, and very white, dire wolf. Not in her own mind, Zalaena stares down the guard that held her grandmother, her mind only thinking about killing that target. She leapt forward, her large jaw opening and aiming for the guard, and she does. She clenches down, her large teeth digging into the fragile flesh and then she jerks her head quickly, easily ripping off the heads, of not only the guard...but of her grandmother as well. A scream slices through the air, causing Zalaena's attention to turn towards it, seeing Bayde's mother. But she wasn't looking at Zalaena. The wolf followed the woman's gaze, turning to look down at the guard and now seeing her grandmothers headless body also laying down, lifelessly. Zalaena slowly backed away, her ears very flat against her head. Zalaena looks back at everyone around her, guards shaking from their fear and starting to move towards her with their swords ready. Zalaena, her face blood red and dripping with the blood that had spewed, looks upon Bayde. He glares back and spits on the ground, clutching at his arm stump. The guards advanced closer and Zalaena turned on her paws, quickly running out of the village. Before she could get out of the village, she gets shot with an arrow on her shoulder, but it doesn't stop her. She continues to run through the forest, having no idea where she was going, heart pounding, breath gone. When she finally stops to rest, panting. Her ears flick before she even heard it, but a howl calls through the forest. Almost as if on instinct, Zalaena returns it with her own, sitting back and putting her nose to the sky as she did so. Within a matter of minutes, the wolf that had tore off Bayde's arm, now stood infront of her, staring. Zalaena, glared, getting to her feet and growling, clearly on the offense. The other wolf simply turns, almost as if expecting her to follow and for some reason, probably because she no longer has anything, follows after him. They traveled for a long while, staying in wolf form, when she was finally brought to a city she did not know the name of. The wolf stood and just stared at the city, as if telling her to go there. And she did. She shifted back, keeping the cloak wrapped tightly around herself as she walked through the cities streets. She heard people whispering about heading to a new place, some called it [[Shengming de Yaolan|'Sheng]], others said new names she didn't know and were hard to pronounce.'' Not having anywhere else to go, Zalaena snuck onto one of the ships heading to Sheng. Upon arriving in Sheng, she quickly took off, living in the forests just northwest of [[Jiyu|'Jiyu']]. She often can be seen in the city and has even picked up some of the language here. As the maps had no names of the forests, she had taken the habbit of calling the woods she resides in Akai Mori, the Red Forest. Here, she still lives in the forest, but is in the process of getting a small wood cabin. She hunts for her food and the occasional Oni who dares to try to impose her. Appearance In her humanoid form, she wears a teal dress, white stockings, black semi-heeled shoes and a long red cloak, which she tries to keep on at all times. She has a slim figure, but a slightly roundish face. Her eyes glimmered, seeming to be as blue as the ocean and her hair was a blonde, almost white. She comes to a 4'5" in this form when standing tall, which she normally is. She has porcelain white skin, but seems a little tan since her hair is so pale. Her hair is normally tied with with ribbons. In her wolf form, she has snow white fur, which grows darker at the roots. Her sapphire eyes continue to glow in this form. She stands at height of 15'3". Personality In humanoid form, Zalaena normally is very kind, but keeps to herself, knowing what will happen if anyone gets too close to her. She will give a seat to her fire, should anyone need it and share a meal. She tends to live away from society, wanting to spend most of her time in the woods. Zalaena is normally quiet and stone faced, but you might catch her laughing and having fun from time to time with the right person. She doesn't trust easily, not even her allies and will turn on them should they do so to her. In wolf form, Zalaena becomes a completely different person that she absolutely hates. She becomes a fierce beast who's only intent is to take down it's target. She goes full rage mode on whoever she is suppose to be killing. Although she wouldn't attack her party members, for she is still loyal and hasn't lost all of her humanity, it would still be hard to rip her away from the target we were to go after if we wanted to keep them alive. Zalaena only goes into her more natural form, should she be in danger or if it is the only thing she can do. She prefers to not be in that form as she isn't herself when she is in it. Friends * Mikiah - A wolf she found in the forest of the Akai Mori while she was training. He grew attached to her and stays by her side, always. Enemies * None at the moment, but this is surely to change. Additional Information Zalaena's Wolf Form theme: Zalaena's Voice: Zalaena's Theme Song: Category:Inactive